How drones can decide the fight against Russia

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First there’s the low buzz, like an electric mosquito. Then, if you’re lucky, you’ll see a small, dark shadow in the sky. Drones, dubbed the “Mosquito Air Force” by the Ukrainian Armed Forces. They are among the most important Ukrainian weapons in the fight against Russian aggressors.

“We explore, fight and kill with the drones,” Prometheus explained in an interview with Blick, summarizing the huge potential of the small plane. “Just like the real snipers – only in the air.” Prometheus runs the training center for military drone pilots, the Dronarium, in Kiev. For security reasons, the Ukrainian does not want to see his real name in public.

Drone pilots make up three percent of the military

The center was established last March. Since then, the dronarium has trained more than 4,000 Ukrainian soldiers as drone professionals in three locations: Lviv, Kiev and Yavoriv. Prometheus explains: “The training lasts five days and about 70 people follow a course.” And that week after week.

Until recently, the Ukrainian army did not even officially recognize the profession of drone pilot. Also in January, the commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian army, Valery Zalushni (49), ordered the army to set up 60 companies of drone pilots. Prometheus knows: “Drone pilots make up about three percent of the Ukrainian military. They are stationed everywhere at the front.”

And Kiev would like to increase its drone production, writes the American magazine “Politico”. Currently, Ukrainian companies produce only 10 percent of the drones the country needs for war.

As Kiev ramps up production, Prometheus’ military proteges are learning how to use conventional – he calls them “normal” – drones to be at least as effective against the Russians. Meanwhile, many Ukrainian drone pilots prefer civilian drones from the Chinese manufacturer DJI: Mavics and Matrices. Small. Effective. Cheap. And easy to adapt to the needs of the military. That means: planting bombs.

Larger drones – Prometheus calls them ‘aircraft’ – such as the Turkish Bayraktar or Ukrainian own productions are unbeatable in terms of distance. But at some point you lose contact with them and you can only hope that they return from their reconnaissance flights. Mavics, on the other hand, “have a great zoom and can stay in the air for a long time and collect data without the drone taking much risk”.

“Drones will determine future wars”

Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are an integral part of Ukraine’s defense, Kerry Chávez, a professor at Texas Tech University and a drone expert, told Blick. And despite initial skepticism, one had to realize that one had a decisive advantage over Russia. Because Russia recognized the potential of drones too late.

In previous armed conflicts, Chávez explains, drones have supposedly helped weaker actors defend themselves against stronger ones. So you turned David into Goliath.

In future offensives, Ukrainian drones could even be used to attack Russian soil. According to the Berlin security expert Gustav Gressel (44), that could well be the case, he recently explained to Blick. Prometheus reveals that Ukraine’s own drones are already in use today. However, there are no serious attacks on Russian territory yet.

For Chávez, one thing is clear: “The ‘drone’ phenomenon will shape not only the current war, but also future wars.”

Source: Blick